Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2010-11: Vitek Vanecek played for the HC Havlickuv Brod club in his hometown — appearing in one game with the club’s U18 team — and playing 12 games for the U18 squad. He was 0-1, stopping 24 of 30 shots, in his only U18 game. Vanecek was 1-6 for HC Havlickuv’s U16 team with a 4.35 goals against and .874 save percentage.

2011-12: Vanecek played seven games for the HC Havlickuv U18 team and became the starter for the club’s U16 team. He was 3-4 with a 4.09 goals against and .915 save percentage in U18 play. Vanecek was 8-19 with one shutout in 27 games and had a 3.49 goals against and .899 save percentage with HC Havlickuv’s U16 squad.

2012-13: Vanecek made his debut at the U20 level — playing two games in the second division with HC Havlickuv Brod — and represented the Czech Republic in international play with the U17 squad. He had a 2.00 goals against in U20 play. Vanecek was 2-6 with a 4.59 goals against and .853 save percentage in eight games for the Czech U17 team. Vanecek was a bright spot in an otherwise dreadful season for HC Havlickuv’s last-place U18 team. In 31 games he was 2-29, posting a respectable 3.33 goals against and .924 save percentage. In five relegation playoff games he was 2-3 with a 2.53 goals against and .938 save percentage.

2013-14: Vanecek went from HC Havlickuv Brod to Billi Tygri Liberec in the top division after playing for the Czech Republic’s U18 team in the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. He also played for the Czech Republic at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge in Canada. Vanecek was 2-1 with a 2.31 goals against and .905 save percentage at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and had a 4.50 goals against and .862 save percentage in two games with the Czech U19 team at the WJAC. He was ranked seventh amongst International goaltenders in Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings prior to the 2014 NHL Draft.

Talent Analysis

Vaněček is an athletic, 6-foot-1 and 181-pound goaltender who uses his reflexes, a quick glove and blocker to stone the opponents. He's been able to make big saves all season long, relying on his reflexes and athleticism. On the other hand, he's been suffering from inconsistency as he sometimes just has a bad day. Not only has Vaněček been an efficient netminder in junior hockey, but he's also made the first couple of steps towards the professional leagues.

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Photo: Madison Bowey’s goal and three assists helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the World Junior Championships (Image courtesy of Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

The Washington Capitals have promoted a pair of prime-time NHL prospects into their lineup this year, with the highly-touted duo of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky making the team out of camp. Although fluctuating ice time has somewhat limited their overall impact, both were in the early season Calder Trophy conversation—and have continued to produce solid numbers. Read more»

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Photo: Rookie forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has managed to stay in the Washington Capitals’ lineup despite several prolonged offensive droughts. Kuznetsov was drafted by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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Photo: Forward Linden Vey started the 2014-15 season strong, with nine points through his first 18 games. Vey was traded in the offseason from the Los Angeles Kings to the Vancouver Canucks. (courtesy of Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

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Photo: Defenseman Nate Schmidt is one of several mobile defensemen in the Washington Capitals system. Schmidt was signed as a free agent in 2013. (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

With opening night having come to pass, the Washington Captials can count two major prospects in the professional level now. Heavily-touted prospects Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov played for the Capitals on opening night of the 2014-15 season against the Montreal Canadiens, with Burakovsky picking up the Capitals first goal of the season.

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Photo: Prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov is an early favorite to contend for the 2015 Calder trophy. Kuznetsov is an immensely skilled forward who was selected in the 2010 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

While the Washington Capitals are in a transition period in many ways, with a new coach, a new general manager, and a new-look defense, they have a wealth of extremely talented players to pass the torch to in coming years.